East Central Reporter

Blaine Wilhour, Illinois State House District 110 Representative, urged opponents of House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, to consider filing a witness slip to "protect homeschool freedom in Illinois." He made this statement in a Facebook post on March 18.

"ATTENTION HOMESCHOOL ADVOCATES: An amendment has just been added to the Homeschool Act (HB 2827) ahead of tomorrow's 8:00 AM committee hearing," said Wilhour, State Representative, according to Facebook. "There were nearly 35,000 witness slips filed against the original bill. Please consider filing a witness slip in opposition to this new amendment (House Committee Amendment 001) to protect homeschool freedom in Illinois."

The amendment Wilhour referred to was filed on March 13. The Homeschool Act had been referred to the Assignments Committee on March 4 and subsequently sent to the Rules Committee on March 13 and the Education Policy Committee on March 18. According to the bill’s website, two hearings were scheduled for House Bill 2827: one on March 19 at 8 a.m. and another on March 20 at 2 p.m.

Screenshot of State Representative Blaine WIlhour's March 18 Facebook post | State Representative Blaine Wilhour's Facehook page

Interested parties can register online for witness slips if they wish to testify regarding House Bill 2827. The registration requires contact information such as name, address, business or agency title, and phone number. It also asks whether the testimony will be oral, written, or a record of appearance only.

House Bill 2827 mandates that the Illinois State Board of Education create a homeschool declaration form for administrators to submit information to the school district where the student would otherwise attend. The bill proposes penalties for students whose homeschool administrators fail to notify the public school district of their status. It also requires homeschool students to provide proof of immunization and health exams or a signed exemption certificate. This bill was filed by Representative Terra Costa Howard on February 5 and assigned to the House Education Policy Committee on March 4.

Wilhour has represented Illinois' 110th District since 2019. A lifelong resident of Illinois, he served in the Illinois Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005 and was deployed to Europe in 2002 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. His political career includes a term on the Fayette County Board. Wilhour is also a managing partner at his family’s post-frame construction company in Effingham County.